Western bats explode as Colonials sweep Wesleyan, 9-5 and 17-3

DANBURY, CT (Apr. 10) — Sophomore Stephanie Moss (Brookfield, CT) came on in relief to pick up the victory in game one, and followed that with a solid two-inning performance in game two that included 17 runs of support from the offense, as the Western Connecticut State University softball team improved to 17-5 on the season by sweeping the visitors from Wesleyan, 9-5 and 17-3

Western’s game one starter, the usually-dependable senior Magen Dargon (Trumbull, CT), yielded four earned runs in the first two innings, giving Wesleyan an early 4-0 lead. Western got one run back in the bottom of the second, but when Moss entered the game to begin the third inning, she silenced the Wesleyan bats, facing the minimum number of batters in three of the final five innings.

Dargon earned the win in the second game after sitting down the three batters she faced. She is now 12-2 on the season.

The top of the Wesleyan order did much of the damage early, with leadoff hitter junior Allee Beatty (Redding, CT) scoring in both the first and second innings, while the Cardinal’s second batter, junior Tori Redding (Branford, CT) had an RBI double in the first and a triple that scored two runs in the second.

For Western, the hits that changed the game’s momentum were both homeruns. After freshman Erin Biskup (Poughkeepsie, NY) led off the third with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Nina Wojtkiewica (Griswold, CT), senior Danielle Basciano (Holmes, NY) hit a shot just over the fence in right-center to narrow the margin to 4-3. Sophomore Kylee Ruther (Stamford, CT) led off the fourth with a deep blast over the fence in left to even the score at 4-4.

In the bottom of the fifth, Western sent 10 batters to the plate, scoring five runs on six singles, a walk, a stolen base, and a passed ball. Wesleyan managed to get one run back in the top of the seventh, but Western took the victory in game one by the final score of 9-5.

Beatty again scored to get Wesleyan on the board in the top of the first inning of game two, but 17 Western runners would cross home-plate before another Wesleyan run scored.

After the first two Western batters went quietly in the bottom of the first, senior Jackie Zilnicki (Riverhead, NY), Dargon, Ruther, and junior Alison Russo (Danbury, CT) hit consecutive singles, combined with aggressive base-running, to score three runs.

In the bottom of the second inning, Western exploded for 10 runs, sending 15 batters to the plate, and giving Moss all the run production she would need. The big blow of the inning came off the bat of junior Ashley Morris (Wolcott, CT), whose homer deep to right-center with two on and no outs, ignited the Western rally. After Morris’ blast, the next six Western batters reached base safely, and each would eventually score. The Western bats accounted for eight hits to go with four walks and five stolen bases to leave little doubt about the game’s outcome.

Western batted around again in the third, this time scoring four runs on four hits and two walks. The Colonials were poised to score several more runs, but a heady double play by Wesleyan with the bases load ended the inning.

Beatty scored again for Wesleyan in the top of the fifth inning off Western reliever Alexandra Emerson (Dover Plains, NY), but when senior Melissa Fracker (Sandy Hook, CT) made a diving catch in right field and then jumped to her feet and threw out a Wesleyan runner at second for a double play, the game’s final out was a mere formality as the Colonials claimed the 17-3 victory and a sweep of the doubleheader.

Wesleyan falls to 8-15 on the season. Western returns to action on Wednesday, April 11th, when it hosts New Paltz in a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 4:30pm.